The Epidemic
by TRUTHxthexLIAR
Summary: "When they first started cureing people, Dem, Roxas and I...we ran, ran like cowards from the flames."   "Yeah well who didn't run? I sure as hell did."  "I just feel like everyone else made it easier, they finally just walked into it in the end."
1. The Epidemic: Prologue

Epidemic of the century is what they would call it, biggest medical mystery in all of history, a whole new species of disease. That was only after it all passed though, when all evidence of the illness had been murdered, every scrap of tainted flesh was burned away, every sign was erased and the world was clean again. It was then that people abandoned their fear, they unlocked their doors and stepped out into the light, bathed in all the glory of their brand new existence, because they were the lucky ones that still existed. People tore down the posters, painted over the billboards, dug up the signs, and did everything they could to forget. But forgetting is hard. To forget the disease was easy, it was forgetting the cure that was the impossible part.

The disease began with household pets, an evolved form of rabies was the first diagnosis. People began watching their animals more carefully, because if you turned your back on an infected dog, for example, you would soon find yourself bleeding out on the floor as it devoured your heart. The first sign was the eyes, a glowing, yellow color, the first sign other than the aggresivness that is. Many people got rid of their beloved pets, sent them away, abandoned them on the streets, or used the more impulsive methods. Soon you had veterinarians makeing weekly rounds, stamping the infected animals with a red dye, the symbol became well known, a heart like shape, it was ironic really. When several scientists studied the ill animals, only two things could be determined, one, the receptors in their brains that caused emotions were totally fried, completely void of function, and two, their hearts were no longer pumping blood, so as to how the animals were liveing was quite the anomally. Everyone of course had their speculations on the connections between the two, that and then the same connections were made as too why the animals went for people's hearts when they attacked. Naturally animal rights advocates had plenty to say as did a million diffrent professors and doctors. Heartless is what people called the diseased animals.

And then suddenly, people were being diagnosed with the epidemic. The very first human to be reported with the illness was a boy named Cloud Strife, he walked out of his doctors office so he could blandly present a blareing crimson heart stamped onto his hand to his parents. Reporters began to arrive at Cloud's home only two days after he was diagnosed. Later that week millions watched his mother cry on national television while Cloud stood next to her entirely empty of any feeling. A woman down the street told a reporter that the most frightening thing were his eyes, "they're still as big and blue as ever, dead looking sure, but still blue, not yellow, not that wretched gold, if his eyes are still blue how is one to know who else has the disease?". It only took a month before doctors, not veterinarians, were makeing daily, not weekly, rounds to households. Each family was given a very specific time at which they were to report out front of their homes for inspection. "at least the test is simple and quick" people would say, first they would listen to your heart and next they would ask you how you felt, and if you hesitated to answer they would check your heartbeat again. If you failed inspection they would stamp you in the most convienient and easily spotted area and you would be officaily deemed, a Nobody. That's what the humans with the illness were called, "Nobodies".

Signs and posters were hung everywhere, some listed the symptoms to look for, some displayed advice for what you should do with the heartless, but most were simple, simple yet more effective then any of the others, it was just the symbol, the deformed heart always printed in either red or black ink and always a sickening symol for any person, any person other than a nobody that is. And then, because people are people and they must always do everything they can to make things worse for those around themselves, a phrase began being muttered among eachother, a heartbreaking five words. They were always just whispers though, whispers until they became words, words until they became shouts, shouts until they became the sound of the whole world, until they became a hope defeating song that spread across nations at warp speed.

"NOBODIES CAN NEVER BECOME SOMBODIES"

It wasn't long after when the cure was found, and the healers appeared. They were gonna end it all, they were gonna save the world, and in long run, save themselves. If only it had really worked out that way, if only it was all that simple. Because the cure was what no one could forget, the cure is what no one could forgive, even though it was the cure that saved the world. But it's okay now, if no one talks about it, it'll just go away right?

**A/N: **Alrighty, so this is my first chapter story so it's pretty damn expiremental! Plus I don't have spell check or a beta, so typos and grammatical errors galor! Anyways though I'm almost done with the first chapter so that should be up super soon! And I NEED feedback people, please reveiw! So toodles then, Zoe.


	2. Chapter 1

December 21, 2018 8:14 A.M

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><p>"Axel...Axel!...Axel!"<p>

Axel is jerked into reality, sitting up abruptly in the liveing room armchair and consequently smacking his forehead against Sora's "Jesus Sora! Back up a bit why don't you!"

"Well maybe if you would wake up!" Sora shot back as he rubbed his forehead, he could already feel a small lump forming near his hairline.

"Whatever Sora..." Axel waits for the little white dots obscureing his vision to dissapear before he stands and heads towards the kitchen to get some ice for his head.

"Axel, Where is everyone?" Sora calls out after Axel following him to the kitchen. Axel glances at the clock over the stove, eight fifteen in the morning.

"Probably in bed Sora." Axel looks over his shoulder, Sora's small face is completely shrouded in worry.

"Nuh-uh." Sora shakes his head frantically, his already messy hair becomeing even more disheveled "I checked our room and Riku isn't there, and Kairi isn't in her room, just Xion, and Demyx is gone too!" Axel turns around stareing at Sora.

"Demyx? Did you check our room? Kairi and Riku probably left for church smart one, but Dem..." a trillion diffrent situations dash through Axel's head. Demyx is careless and often dosen't think things through, someone could have found him out, someone could have taken him, someone could have cured him.

"Axel, Riku dosen't go to church if I don't go too. And Demyx...I don't know Axel." Sora takes a few hesitant steps forward before wrapping his slim arms around Axel's waist "I'm sorry Axel but I just don't know" Axel hugged Sora in return, Sora's warmth and genuine concern somewhat of a comfort, because if Demyx dissapears too then Sora will truly be all he has left.

It was finally decided that Sora would be the one to make the venture into Kairi's room and wake Xion, because they figured Sora wouldn't be quite as frightening as tall, redheaded, tattooed Axel. So after knocking on the door and receiveing no answer Sora decided to let himself in. Xion was still fast asleep in Kairi's bed, Sora could see the bunched up part of the blanket beside her where Kairi had gotten up from. Ever so gently Sora tapped the Xion's shoulder, keeping his face far back as Axel had instructed him, quietly saying Xion's name. Xion opened her eyes slowly and unlike Axel didn't jolt out of bed, but she did however become a little startled and yelp.

"Woah! Calm down!" Sora quickly held up his hands in a defensive manner "Xion, It's Sora, I need your help alright?"

"What for?" Xion still looking slightly surprised but calming down.

"Kairi, Riku, and Demyx..." Sora let his hands fall to his sides his usual smile faltering and then just dissapearing entirely

"Yeah?" Xion sat up in the bed tilting her head slightly.

"They're gone."

"Gone?"

"yeah, I can't find them Xion, I think they were taken."

"By healers" Xion eyes go wide with fear. She's seen this before, too often she's seen this exact situation.

"Yeah, healers..."

Sora leaves the room after telling Xion to go ahead and get dressed and joins Axel on the couch downstairs. They don't say anything to eachother, Axel simply puts an arm around Sora and waits for Xion to come with some hopeful answers.

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><p>August 23, 2016 2:17 A.M<p>

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><p>A strong part of Axel knew that he should get off the sofa and introduce himself to the fresh meat Kairi and Riku had brought home, but an even stronger part of Axel knew that Sora was soft, warm and clinging tightly to his abdomen and it would feel so good to just wrap his own arms around the small boy and bury his face in those chocolatey brown shocks of hair that were tickling his chin at the moment. In the end though the undeciferable muttering comeing from the kitchen won him over. After ever so carefully pulling Sora's arms from around his ribcage he managed to bumble into the kitchen where Kairi sat with her coke in hand as she chatted up the two strangers standing in front of the stove. Riku turned his head slightly to give Axel a questioning glance.<p>

"He's in the liveingroom, passed out on the couch." Axel jerked a thumb over his shoulder and Riku muttered a small "Kay" and proceeded to wander into the next room.

Delicately poised on the kitchen counter directly across from the stove was Kairi, her pink, pouty lips moveing slowly while her skirt gradually ran up her thighs. Axel could remember Kairi when she was little, back before the disease ruined her. Young and innocent, running up and down the street with Sora and Riku, Axel used to watch them with Roxas from his porch. They used to laugh and tease the three of them, Axel being much older and Roxas acting much older. Sora would cry, Riku would threaten them and then finally it was always sweet, wonderful Kairi who would grab Riku back by the arm, give Axel and Roxas both dissaproveing looks and then tell Sora "They were only just kidding, none of that is true." until he stopped crying and began running around with Riku all over again. Kairi back when she was still lively and kind and all together a wonderful person. When Axel thinks about it all, it's really not fair, not when he looks at Kairi now anyways.

Discreetly ripping his eyes away from Kairi's lips as she took another long sip from her coke can Axel redirected his attention to the two awkward people standing quietly with their eyes on the floor. The first was a rather short boy seventeen, eighteen tops, with slate hair that covered nearly half of his handsome features, while the other was a petite girl probably fourteen or fifteen with simple bobbed black hair and and eyes to rival Sora's baby blues. Kairi turning her face to Axel took one last drink, draining the can completely and tossing it in the trash, then hopping off the counter her long legs carrying her to Axel not once breaking eye contact with her fellow redhead even after comeing to a stop a few inches in front of him. Kairi's face upturned to Axel's her lips slightly parted, a quick glance over her head tells Axel the girl is watching them out of the corner of her eye. Kairi places a single elegant hand over Axel's useless heart lifting her body slightly her face moveing several inches closer to his made even closer by his imediate reaction to bend his own face down to Kairi's.

"Kairi...?" Axel is horridly aware of the third set of eyes searing into the back of Kairi's skull and the crunching of car tires rolling over gravel.

Kairi's breath, hot on Axel's face as she breathed out "Demyx is home..." letting her body fall and takeing several swift steps backwards just as the back door leading to the kitchen creaked open.

"Oi! What the hell are you lot still doing up! It's two in the morning!" Demyx shouts loud enough to wake up Sora in the next room and Miss. Lippery down the street.

"Kairi and Riku had to go out and pick up these two." Axel explained as he turned to give his daily "welcome home honey!" kiss to Demyx.

"Oh yeah?" Demyx lays a chaste kiss on Axel's lips before pushing past him to thrust his hand out in front of the boy "And just who are these two?"

"Zexion" The boy says grabbing hold of Demyx's hand with his own, habitually extending his first two fingers and checking Demyx's nonexistent pulse.

"Checks" is what people would call them. When you first aproach someone, one of two things usually takes place, depending on your relationship with the person, you would either hug them or shake their hand. When hugging someone you would press two fingers to the persons throat and feel their pulse, or when shakeing someone's hand you would do as Zexion had demonstrated and extend two fingers to the wrist checking the radial arterie. Checks were never considered to be rude or inconsiderate, just something everyone did for their own personal security. Naturally it just became second nature after a while.

"And you?" Demyx asks turning to the girl.

"Xion..." The girl muttered lightly shakeing Demyx's hand and just bareley extending her fingers to check him.

"So then!" Kairi said quite suddenly pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning on "Axel! you failed to ever introduce yourself!" Kairi announces with a bright smile, entirely opposite her tired eyes.

"Axel, you jerk!" Demyx laughs and clapps a hand on Axel's back shoveing him slightly forwards "Excuse my mangy boyfriend's rudeness wont you?"

"Yeah it's fine. We could've just as easily introduced ourselves and didn't" Zexion stated briskly before turning to Axel and moveing his hand in front of Axel.

"Right, sorry about that..." Axel gave Zexion an overplayed grin and ecstatic hand shake without checking him and did the same to Xion excepting a small pause in which Xion looked up at Axel through dark lashes a knowing look in her eyes, just strange enough for Axel to swiftly extend his fingers for a check just to reasure himself of the girls poor health.

"So Xion you can sleep with me up in my room and Zexion I'm sure Demyx can make up a bed for you somewhere." Kairi decides lightly placeing her hand on Xion's back leading her out of the kitchen and into the liveingroom, looking back just in time to give a small smile and a "goodnight boys"

"Right-o! Nighty night ladies!" Demyx waves and then turns back to Zexion "Well Zexy, you're welcome to have my bed. I still won't be sleeping for a little while"

"Oh...um...alright then." Zexion nodds, his hair moveing slightly to reveal a bit of red dye on his right cheek.

"I'll show you the way, Demyx how bout you get something to eat alright. I'll be back down in a bit." Axel gives Demyx a small kiss on the forehead before exiting the kitchen. Zexion nodding slightly to Demyx before hurriedly following Axel out the room.

Demyx silently watched the two leave the kitchen before letting out an exasperated sigh. Crossing the linoleum tile to the refrigerator to find a box of leftover pizza and a enough coke to last someone a whole year. Pulling a slice of cold cheese pizza out of the box Demyx walked into the liveing room where Riku, sitting on the couch, gently strokes a sleeping Sora's hair. Riku waves without looking up from his book entitled "Back to Eden" and Sora shifts slightly, the tiniest of whimpers passing his lips.

Upstairs, through the second door on the right, Axel is digging through Drawers of clothing attempting to find something that could actually fit Zexion. Considering the fact that all of the male inhabitants of the house were tall and rather well built ,other than Sora who could share clothes with Kairi if he so desired, Finding something that wouldn't slip right off of the short and thin Zexion proved quite the challenge. Finally, tossing a simple blue shirt and grey sweats to Zexion, both would be way to large but the pants had a drawstring so it would be good enough.

"Sorry but we don't have a whole heck of alot of clothes for someone your size, those are Dem's he won't mind." Axel ran a hand through his wild hair and bumbled over to Demyx's and his bed fixing the tangle of blankets and sheets so they could be of some sort of use to their guest.

"How long have you been here?" Zexion quietly asked as he pulled his jacket off.

Axel lets out a small snort of laughter "To long, how about that?" Axel finishes the bed and sits down on the edge "When they first started cureing people, Dem, Roxas and I...we ran, ran like cowards from the flames."

"Yeah well who didn't run? I sure as hell did." Zexion smiles a bit, unbuttoning his jeans.

"I guess, I just feel like everyone else made it easier, they just accepted it, they finally just walked right into it in the end like Roxas...But not me i had to get scared." Axel laughs again "Thats not even right, cause I can't really get scared..."

"What about those other two? when i checked them...I'm positive they're clean..." Zexion stopped in the middle of putting his shirt on to look at Axel, Riku and Kairi were the only thing that had been bothering him. If they were healthy why would they jeprodize their very hearts by liveing around the infected fugitives?

"Riku, Kairi, and Sora..." Axel looks back at Zexion over his shoulder "During the epidemic, they became healers. Now of course the guilt of it all has practically eaten them alive, well at least for Sora and Kairi. I kind of get the feeling Riku dosen't actually resent his actions, he's only here for his freinds."

"I see...so now they're trying to make up for it? helping the survivors to get rid of the guilt?" Zexion smiles and pushes the shirt down over his stomach "I wonder, if it's actually doing them any good."

Something about Zexion's words irked him, Axel stands pushing past Zexion and out the bedroom door, not even looking back when Zexion mutters a small "night then" after him. Makeing it down the stairs Axel looks to see Demyx in his favorite armchair and strides across the room to him easily grabbing hold of his wrist and pulling him to his feet only so he can yank him back down into his lap.

"Hey Axel..." Demyx says around a bite of pizza "You alright?"

"Yeah, just dandy..." Axel murmurs into Demyx's neck, wrapping his arms around Demyx's waist as tighty as possible. Demyx just eats quietly not saying another word until he's finished his pizza and is leaning back comfortably against Axel resting his hands on top of Axel's own.

"You tired babe?"

"Yeah a little..." Axel breathes out resting his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"How about you go on upstairs? you can go sleep in Sora's bunk eh?" Demyx smiles a bit and makes a small move to stand up but is held in place by Axel.

"In a bit here alright...?" Axel buries his face into Demyx's neck and closes his eyes while Demy'x lets himself fall limp against Axel, eventually the both of them drifting into a light sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: **Woot woot! chapter one is up! please excuse the bombardment of dialogue in the begining...and in the end...and in the middle too...damnit! I'm also hopeing for this story to start moveing alot faster with in the next two chapters so please don't think it's always gonna be so flipping slow. Well pretty please review! Feedback is crucail! Toodles, Zoe!

**Amreon:** Thanks bunches for the review! Even though I did consider haveing th evirus mutate in someway towards the beginning of my planning of this story, that was quickly made irrelevant as because as you can see the story mostly takes place after the disease has been supposedly wiped out.


	3. Chapter 2

The guilt of what he had done during the epidemic weighed on Sora at all times, in fact the only time he could ever let go of his guilt was when he was sleeping or careing for his beloved Axel and Demyx, if he was helping them survive then he could feel better for a short while. This was up until the guilt worked it's way into his dreams. Sora began haveing nightmares about his time as a healer, about his family, how they were killed, and sometimes when he was especailly sad, he would dream about Kairi and how she had changed he would have whole dreams just containing the dead lifeless look that had developed in her eyes. Often Sora would wake in the middle of the night his sheets damp with sweat and silent tears streaming down his cheeks, so after a while Riku began sleeping with Sora so he could calm him when he woke. Sora also claimed that his nightmares lessened when Riku was sleeping with him, Riku made Sora feel safe, if Riku was around then Sora didn't have to worry about things quite as much because he knew Riku would always take care of him.

Sora, of course, was not the only member of the household to suffer from relentless nightmares. Kairi also had constant dreams not always of the epidemic though, her dreams usually involved memory loss. She would have dreams in which everyone had entirely forgotten about the epidemic other than her, Sora and Riku would know who she was but couldn't remember her name, and when she was especailly sad she would have dreams where it was just her with the boy who knew her name when she first showed up out on the street and when he would try and make her remember her life before she had been abandoned on the streets, the life she had forgotten. Kairi's nightmares however, were rarely severe enough to wake her and she could sleep soundly through the night. Sometimes though when Sora had woken from a nightmare and she could hear Riku in the room next door quietly whispering calming words to his best freind, she would get out of bed and join the two in their room. It was a breif moment in which Kairi could enjoy doing the one thing she hated most, forgetting, Kairi could lay down next to Sora, gently strokeing his hair while Riku threw one of his strong arms across his petite freinds, and forget all about the boy, her previous life, and the disease that permanently demolished what she had left of her life.

Axel had many speculations though about Riku and his lack of bad dreams and guilt ridden misery, he speculated that Riku didn't really care about what he had done, that if he had to make a choice he would do it all over again without hesitation. Axel also had many theories that Riku was in fact a nobody, his emotional range being so ridiculously simple, and checked him whenever he could to remind himself that Riku was still a somebody. That or watch him when with Sora or Kairi. Riku didn't often show a lot of emotion, and when he did it was usually sudden bursts of anger or love directed full force upon somebody. Demyx though was full of emotion, no wait, full of memories on which he could base an emotional response to any and all situations. But what anyone could see quite plainly was that even though Demyx had all the right body language and all the right facail expressions but his smile still showed the truth, anyone could see how fake it was paired with his blank optics. Riku though when he was with Kairi or Sora, anyone could see just how much he loved the two, his eyes bright with joy and his lips always slightly turned into the smallest of smiles. That's how Axel would know Riku was most deffinetly healthy.

But really in the end none of this would matter, because whether they were here to repent, to forget, or to love was not all that important in the long run. No matter there reasoning, they were still there in that house keeping them as safe as possible and that was what would really matter. At least that's what Axel had thought.

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><p>December 2018 12:27 A.M.<p>

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><p>Kairi's head had dropped onto Riku's shoulder, over ten minutes ago but her eyes were still open and her fingers were still working furiously along the hem of her skirt. The winter air was cold on her skin but Riku was still and warm, she was tired and knew that she should sleep, she still had another half hour before the bus arrived and the bench wasn't to horidly uncomfortable.<p>

"You're tired." Riku stated matter of factly looking up at the dark sky overhead "You should sleep"

"Yeah..." Kairi stoppped fidgeting with her skirt, wrapping her fingers instead around Riku's wrist, then closeing her eyes and allowing herself to nap until Riku woke her half an hour later to point to an incomeing greyhound bus.

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><p>August 23, 2016 11:03 A.M.<p>

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><p>"So where are you from?" Sora asked with big eyes overflooding with curiosity<p>

"I'd rather not share." Xion answered

"Right then..." Sora looked down at his lap somewhat defeated, Xion had only answered two of his questions so far, her name and her age.

"Any brothers or sisters?" Demyx piped up beside Sora, he had also been badgering Xion for information since they had first woken up.

"One sister, she was cured." Xion looked up from her clasped hands

"Oh I'm sorry" Sora's head jerking back up the curiosity in his eyes being replaced with intense sadness.

"What's her name?" Demyx asked almost imediatly, without the slightest bit of consideration, consequently causeing Sora and Xion both to shoot horrified gazes at him.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know" Xion snapped, unfolding her hands as they balled into fists.

"I hate cats and we let you into our home out of the goodness of our hearts, the least you could do is answer a few questions" Demyx snapped right back a snide smile crawling across his lips.

"Demyx!" Sora shouted slapping his shoulder "You can be a real jerk sometimes you know!"

"Larxene." Xion's fists loosened and she dropped her gaze back to her lap.

"Larxene? I knew her...a grade-A-bitch! She had it comeing." Demyx shrugged and playfully shoved Sora.

"Demyx!" Sora warned, in awe of Demyx's complete disregard whatsoever for Xion's feelings. Then again, why should he really care anyways?

"No he's right, she was a real piece of work my sister." Xion shrugged as well but with much less enthusiasm then Demyx.

"I'm sorry" Sora's hand shot out grabbing hold of Xion's shoulder.

"What? It's not your fault." Xion looked up, confused by Sora's sudden actions and words.

"No I'm really, really sorry." Sora's optics burned with guilt.

"But-" Obviously the boy had some over the top emotional responses, Xion had already realized this. However, it seemed as if Sora truly felt as if he had done something wrong.

"He was a healer." Demyx interrupted, all the malice in his voice gone as he leaned back into the couch, folding his long arms behind his head.

"Huh?" Xion quickly turned her attention to Demyx at the sound of the title 'Healer'.

"One of the first, 'Sora The Keybearer'."

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><p>December 21, 2018 9:46 A.M.<p>

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><p>Kairi's naked skin, damp and sweaty as she frantically slides along the slimy, wet ground below, her hands tied together behind her back and feet attached at the ankles.<p>

"Hello! Who's there!" Kairi shouts into the darkness after she falls for what she thought was the thirdieth time. across the room she hears a muffled response, the words to scrabbled for her to understand.

"Oh god! Riku! Is that you?" Kairi begins dragging herself across the cold, stone floor again as fast as she can.

"Uh uhn!" Another muffled response, but this time she can tell what they mean at the very least, and it's not Riku.

"Oh" Kairi stops her shuffleing for a second "Do I know you?"

"Uh hmm!" A yes, so she knows them at the very least.

"You're not Riku so...ugh!" Kairi starts her movements again attempting to get closer to whomever was here with her. She had woken up less than two minutes ago to find herself here, she remembered climbing into a car with Riku, no wait, she remembers getting out of bed and...no...she remembers nothing, nothing at all, except for him "Ienzo?"

Then, to Kairi's left, a door opens sending a ridiculous amount of light pouring into the dark room. It feels as if something has snapped back into place in Kairi's brain, as if she has remembered something very important, but forgotten something of equal importance. Someone is standing in the door way, nothing but a silhoute until they step out of the heavily lit room behind them. In front of her Kairi sees Demyx, bound, gagged, and naked not entirely unlike herself. And the boy who had entered through the door, all Kairi can even think of is his remarkable likeness to Sora. The boy crouches down to eye level with Kairi, a smirk adorning his features. He grabs Kairi by the forearm, pulling her towards him and forceing her eyes onto his. Demyx can be heard attempting to shout around the gag.

"You're Kairi right?" His voice is even similar to Sora's yet gruffer, colder, and filled to the brim with anger.

"Who are you?" Kairi spits out, everything about him bothers her, a distorted image of her best friend.

"Vanitas" The boy says, the smirk on his lips spread into a wide grin "And I have some questions for you." Vanitas stands, yanking Kairi to her feet with him, dragging her across the ground, ignoreing Demyx's terrified shouts and Kairi's inability to actually walk with the ropes bound tightly around her feet.

It was almost comical the way Kairi had to practically hop along the hallway to keep up with Vanitas' long strides without falling to the marble floors. Why marble? And why white? Kairi couldn't help but ponder, the glareing lights overhead would reflect off the walls and floor makeing Kairi hyper aware of her lack of any kind of clothing. The hall before her though was supriseingly not infinette like she had previously assumed and finally came to stop at a simple door not unlike the one leading to the disgusting room that had been holding her and Demyx captive. After wrenching the door open Vanitas shoved Kairi inside, even if the entrance was the same the room within was much diffrent. All smooth, white, marble with a simple table and four chairs the farthest one from the door being the one Vanitas threw Kairi into.

"Wait here, I'll be back." Vanitas ordered as if Kairi could actually go anywhere, before leaveing her alone, in the much to sterile room.

Looking around the room Kairi realised two things, one the room looked uncomfortably like the old interogation rooms from when she first applied to become a healer, and two she was being heavily observed, there were four cameras, one in each corner of the rectangular room, and they were each swiveling around, constantly documenting the room, leaving nothing unseen. With that Kairi felt an overwhelming desire to fold her arms over her chest which thanks to well made knotts keeping her arms behind her back could not be accomplished. After several more minutes of waiting in the chilly room, Kairi looked up to see the door cracked open being held by one Vanitas's boots, outside the door Kairi could hear undecipherable whispers between Vanitas and another stranger, then a sudden shout of a much more familiar voice.

"YOU SONOFABITCH!" The voice was undeniably that of Riku.

"RIKU!" Kairi screamed from her seat, doing her best to try and stand up. Complete silence behind the door, Kairi screamed for Riku again but like before was met with silence, and then footsteps of at least two people walking away from Vanitas that were soon cut off as Vanitas shut the door.

"I heard him! That was Riku yelling! Whats going on? Where is he going!" Kairi demanded answers but as expected received none, instead Vanitas walked to the table, dropping a clipboard and a pile of white cloth. Turning Kairi around Vanitas pulled out a menaceing blade, roughly sliced through the ropes around her wrists then bent down for the ropes around her ankles. Gently massageing blood back into her hands Kairi asked agian slightly calmer this time "That was Riku right?"

"No." Was Vanitas's blunt answer.

"But I was so sure that-"

"I told you, it wasn't him!" Vanitas growled shoveing the clothing into Kairi's arms "Now get dressed then sit down."

Kairi obeyed slipping the simple white, cotton dress over her head, frowning at the lack of undergarments, then sitting back down in the cold steel chair. Across the table Vanitas flipped through the pages on the clipboard sighing and then finally looking up to meet Kairi's gaze.

"Alright I have a shitload of questions I've gotta ask you, most of which have little coherence to what really need from you anyways. So just answer the questions quickly so I can get this done alright." Vanitas demanded holding a pen in his right hand, propping his chin on left and looking back down at the clip board.

"Ok so first question, your name?" Vanitas was obviously already filling in her name on the sheet so Kairi didn't bother, however Vanitas looked up as if expecting her to answer. "I said name."

"But obviously you already know my name" Kairi folded her arms over her chest.

"Yeah but you have to say it anyways" Vanitas spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine. It's Kairi. No last name." There was really no point in argueing.

"Age?" Vanitas mumbled filling the numbers in before even asking the question.

"But you-"

"Age?" Vanitas said slightly more persistent this time.

"Seventeen" Kairi said after a huffy irratated breath.

"Place of residence?" Vanitas once again already scrawling an address along the sheet.

"Why the hell do I need to say it? You already know where I live!" Kairi shouted annoyed from asking a trillion questions only to have diffrent ones thrown back at her.

"Because" Vanitas motioned to the cameras around the room "This is also being recorded on video and if you don't say it then the information has to be processed differently. It just makes my job a hell of alot easier!"

"And why should I make anything easier for you?" Kairi spat back

"Because like you said, we already know where you live" Vanitas leaned across the table, with an undeniable sneer "And I'm sure there are very valuable people there you wouldn't want us to get our hands on."

"206 Dancer Drive Twighlight Town" Kairi stated loud and clear for the cameras, her arms unfolding only so her hands could grasp the edges of her set until her knuckles became bone white.

"That's much better." Vanitas smiled and then proceeded to fill out the sheets of paper asking question after mindless question which Kairi answered imediatly absolutely no hesitation. He asked about her parents, her school career, her adoptive parents, even her childhood pets, up until Vanitas asked Kairi a question which he clearly didn't know the answer to "What is your relationship with Ienzo Silec?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Once again you know, typos I'm sure. I've realised that there is a terrible lack of both Sora and Axel considering this is supposed to be at least somewhat centered around them XD major fail on my part. Also, Vanitas's role in this story was supposed to be totally different I hadn't at all planned him to be the one interrogateing Kairi.


	4. Chapter 3

Cloud was the symbol of the cure, his face was everywhere, a shot someone stole of him trieing to hide his face with his hand. Unfortunatly the hand he used to hide his face revealed more than his smile ever would. Although the picture was accidental, it was more symbolic than an intentional one would have been. The symbol of the disease in clear focus why Cloud's face remained blurred and turned away from the camera. Cloud became everything for those fighting the disease, he was the first to be diagnosed, and the first to be cured, the world watched as the healer cured him. The world watched Sora cure him.

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><p>December 21, 2018 8:37 A.M<p>

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><p>"So during your little midnight endeavors where do you guys usually go?"Axel asked as he made his way to their car after Sora, Xion walking next to him.<p>

"The church gardens." Sora replied waveing for the two to hurry up, he had already made it to the old station wagon and was climbing into the passenger side seat.

Axel slid into the driver's seat next to Sora and Xion sat in the back seat leaning forwards in between Sora and Axel, turning her head to Sora a curious expression crossing her face.

"Why?"

"They same reasons we go to church." Sora shrugged.

"But you don't actually beleive in that bullshit do you?" Axel laughed, and threw Sora disbeleiveing look.

"Yes actually!" Sora declared his tone somewhat offended.

"Seriously? I'd think you of all people would be the first to lose his faith." Xion ran a hand through her short hair trying to work out a few of the tangles

"I suppose not, I think I was also one of the first to need god." Sora shrugged again and turned his gaze to the window. Axel turned the key in the ignition, shakeing his head slightly as he shot down the street.

"So then why does Riku go? I mean Kairi beleiveing...okay i can accept that, but i know for a fact that Riku's an athiest. What does he get out of it? Do you two just make out in the pews?" Axel grinned at Sora resulting in a punch to the arm.

"What? No! We're just friends!" Sora insisted a light blush dusting his sunkissed cheeks.

"So then Kairi and him make out?" Axel asked his grin getting even wider.

"Stop it Axel!" Sora glared his eyebrows comeing together.

"So you and Kairi make out and Riku watches? That's gotta be it, I can see him likeing that sort of a thing." Axel nodded his head with approval.

"Oh shut up!" Sora huffed and turned his head to look out the window again. Axel laughed and focused back on the road, slowing down as he approached a great white church with a beautiful garden to the left of it. Sora dashed out of the car, shooting down the brick path that went through the garden, checking every nook and cranny for his friends. Finally reaching the end of the garden at the large oak cross, tears were once again streaming down Sora's face as he approached the cross. Sora clasped his hands together as he dropped to his knees in front of the cross, praying to his God for some sort of clue or sign ad to where Riku, Kairi, and Demyx could possibly be. Axel walked up silently behind Sora, bending down to crouch next to him and run his fingers through his hair, resting a single large hand on Sora's trembling shoulder.

"Sora?" Axel spoke after a few minutes of listening to Sora's mutterings of prayer.

"hm?"

"What is that?" Axel motioned to a manilla envelope sitting right in front of the cross. Sora reached over picking it up and turning it over to find his own name scrawled across the front in a familiar mix of cursive and print. Sora's eyes stretched wide in a mixture of hope, excitement, and terror because the familiar writeing was that of a boy who went by the name Vanitas.

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><p>September 12, 2016 4:06 P.M<p>

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><p>Axel imagined that if he could still dream he would probably dream about Roxas, about crystal blue optics, soft pink lips, and a slim almost feminine frame moveing feverishly against his. He'd probably dream about Demyx too, before when he wasn't quite as fake, when Demyx loved Axel so much some would call it an obsession. But Axel didn't care, even if Demyx's actions were that of obsession, because back then Axel would obsess as well, obsess over Roxas and every last one of his irate glares and snide comments. Whether or not Roxas ever had someone to obsess over was unknown, and thanks to the healers would always remain that way, but that was alright too, everything was alright, his dead dog and his diseased boyfriend, those things were also okay. For Axel, nothing really did matter until he had to think about it. That's why this life was good for him, it was surpriseingly simple despite the situation. He stayed holed up in the house watching the T.V and curling up to happily sleep with Sora on the couch, he never had to think, he could live the rest of his life like this and never realize that anything was wrong. Up until people like Zexion and Xion popped up.<p>

If it was up to Axel he would have said, no, just leave them, don't you dare let them into our home. Since it's wasn't up to Axel though, his daily routine was now completely disheveled and he was being forced to think, which consequently drove him to realize just how not okay everything was.

"Karma's bullshit man!" Axel argued, slapping his palm onto the kitchen table just loud enough to startle Kairi and cause her to drop a dish into the sink and Riku to give both Axel and Zexion questioning looks.

"So you're saying you don't think you deserve this, you're too good to get this life" Zexion said with a sneer, keeping his place in his book with his thumb.

"No I'm saying people like Sora, for example, they don't deserve this, he's to good for this life." Axel explained, ignoreing Zexion's obvious insult and the shift of expression on Riku's face, from amused to slightly annoyed.

"He was a healer man..." Zexion's brows slanting into a sad almost dissapointed form. Kairi cringed as she saw Riku's muscles flex for a moment.

"He was was a good kid, ignorant sure, but he was just protecting his freinds." Axel couldn't help but defend Sora, if he admitted to one thing then he'd be forced to admit to everything.

"He was murdering people Axel." Zexion insisted, determined to prove himself right, Axel wrong, and Sora a killer. Riku had had enough, Zexion had no right to make blind accusations about Sora's morality. Kairi moved quickly though, grabbing hold of Riku's shoulder as soon as began to move forward.

"He was cureing people Zexion." Axel stated in a very matter of fact tone, surprised he could speak so calmly considering the irrataion that was building up in his chest, and the holes Riku was burning in the back of his neck with his optics.

"Did he cure Roxas?" Zexion's sneer came flying back full force. Zexion knew what he was doing, he always knew just how to bring about others insecurities and really make them hurt. Kairi's grip on Riku tightened as she felt a sudden peirceing pain in her chest, a feeling she knew quite well to be guilt.

"Maybe he did but what does that matter!" Axel shouted standing up and towering over Zexion. Zexion seemingly completely unfazed looked up at Axel with a smirk, feeling quite accomplished. Riku on the other hand ripped his arm out of Kairi's grip approaching Zexion with two long strides across the linoleum floor, his fingers curling into fists along the way.

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" Riku grabbed Zexion by the collar and lifted him out of his seat. Axel looked to Riku as if he had just proclaimed his undieing love to him. Axel couldn't think of a single time Riku had ever willingly defended him in any way, shape, or form. Zexion's amused smirk did not waver though, he simply put his hands up in a defensive manner and snickered.

"Calm down alright." Zexion gently touched Riku's hand, lightly pushing them off his shirt. Riku roughly threw Zexion back into his seat, before turning around and leaveing the kitchen. Axel followed Riku with his eyes until Riku turned a corner and couldn't be seen any more then directed his attention back to Zexion. "Yes, Axel?"

Axel looked at Zexion for a moment more before turning around and heading out the side door and into the back yard where Kairi could see him rubbing tears out of his eyes with one hand and pulling his shirt collar up over his neck with the other. She considered going outside to comfort him but instead stayed in the kitchen, turning off the water faucet and wipeing her hands dry before sitting down in Axel's previous seat at the table.

"Why did you do that?" Kairi asked calmly, looking Zexion straight in the eyes.

"What?"Zexion shrugged as he flipped through his book that had tumbled over the edge of the table, finding his page.

"Piss Axel off like that, you were doing it on purpose I could tell." Kairi tilted her head slight, anticipateing Zexion's answer.

"Because I hate people like him, people that try to make beleive everythings A-okay and nothing bad ever happened." Zexion had found his page and was now running a finger down the page looking for his paragraph.

"I see...so then we should all just wallow in the past for the rest of our lives, never moveing forward?" Kairi nibbled on the edge of her bottom lip. Zexion looked up as a very serious look crossed his features, more serious than Kairi had ever seen him.

"Well you would know all about that wouldn't you Kairi." Kairi stared at Zexion in shock, he couldn't possibly be refering to that...no not possible...right?

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><p>December 21, 2018 10:19 A.M<p>

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><p>"What does Ienzo have to do with any of this?" Kairi looked up her eyes revealing nothing but puzzlement.<p>

"Just answer the question" Vanitas stated blandly.

"But-"

"Answer." Vanitas's demand came out as a snarl.

"He was a childhood friend of mine before I lost my memory alright! Nothing more, nothing less!" Kairi spouted off, she felt as if her mind was entering a diffrent world as she thought about Ienzo, sad, lonely Ienzo.

"Did you stay in contact with him even after you lost your memory?" Vanitas asked jotting down Kairi's words on his clipboard.

"Well obviously! He tracked me down and tried to help me remember everything...but he wouldn't just tell me he would just give me clues, a real jerk!" Kairi thought of the long nights spent on the phone with him, how he would subtly pick at her brain until she couldn't take it anymore.

"When did you stop talking to him?"

"...When the epidemic began to infect humans...I heard he was infected..." Vanitas glanced up to see Kairi's eyes filled with guilt.

"For a brief period of time a boy named Zexion lived with you correct?" Vanitas quickly looked back down to his papers though when Kairi noticed him stareing.

"Yes" Kairi began to pick at the hem of her dress a nervous habit, Riku would always point it out and tell her to stop before she unraveled it.

"And what do you know of Roxas Horatio?"

"He lived down the street from Sora, he was Axel's best friend, same age as all of us, he tried to run...he turned himself in...he was publicly cured." She was there when Roxas was cured she had watched him burn.

Vanitas suddenly stood up and walked across the room to one of the four cameras, standing up on a chair to press a small red button turning the camera off, Kairi watched as Vanitas did the same to the other three cameras, each recording light blinking three times before going out. After each camera had been succesfully shut off Vanitas returned to his seat across from Kairi. His gaze going from mildly bored and indiffrent, to extremely serious and tense as he leaned across the table and asked quietly "Do you know why you are here?".

"Because I was holding several fugitive nobodies in my home right?" A quick glance told Kairi there was indeed no more questions on the clipboard.

"..." Vanitas looked saddened by Kairi's response, as if dissapointed by her answer haveing expected her to say something different.

"But that is why i'm here isn't it?" Kairi leaned forwards in her seat as well, her face showing her desperation.

"...one question...I'll answer one question for you...are you sure that's what want to know?" Vanitas raised a single brow and sat back in his seat. Kairi sat back as well, putting pieces together best as she could, what should she ask... one question right? She had to take advantage of this situation, she couldn't mess this one up. Looking down at the hem of her dress she realised she really had managed to unravel a good bit of the bottom, thin white threads tickling her thighs. Riku, where was he? what was he doing talking to Vanitas? And is Demyx okay? Are they going to cure him? What about Axel, Sora, and Xion? Are they here as well? And why do they care about Ienzo? Or Roxas for that matter? He never stayed with them, in fact he never even knew them, they weren't friends, if anything Roxas was just a bully. And then there's the question as to where she even was, or whether or not they were going to kill her, or arrest her, or simply let her go. There were a trillion diffrent questions Kairi could ask but she finally had to settle on one.

"Will any of my friends or I die here?" Kairi finally asked doing her best to keep her voice even and her gaze strong.

Vanitas looked at Kairi for several seconds from across the table before finally standing up and pushing in his chair. "Yes."

Vanitas then turned on his heel and left the room without another word, leaveing Kairi once again alone confused and terrified.

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry for the late update guys, I wanted to try and finish this and get it up on friday before I left for Otakon, but it was giveing me lots and lots of trouble so instead you all had to wait. So far I think this is my worst chapter, it's really awkward and but of course there is soooooooo much dialouge! But I'm a lazy fuck and don't know how to make it any better so...yeah...but I'm hopeing for the next chapter to be way better! And by the way forty five totally came up with Roxas' last name, for some reason that was really troubleing me...so yeah that his idea, he's also a fabulous writer, like ten trillion times better than me, so if you're reading my shit and feel that you brain has been slaughtered then you should probably go read his stuff to recover.

**Whimsical Dreamers:** Awww thanks bunches! Makes me feel like a decent writer! XD

**forty five:** I hate tenses with a burning passion...I'm so bad with them...and yeah Cloud does have a highly symbolic part to play, you've just seen a small glimpse of it! And as for Sephiroth, I doubt I'm gonna do anything with him, I had considered a few things but i can really only handle a few subplots (to many and the main plot gets devoured). But yeah hopefully everything's gonna get cleared up soonish!

Well toodles then m'dears!


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